Tshediso Matona, the newly appointed Eskom CEO
Photo Credit: Financial News.
On Wedneday, the South African parliament, acting on the recommendations of the new Public Enterprises Minister, approved the appointment of Tshediso Matona as the new CEO of Eskom to replace Brian Dames.
After thirty years at Eskom, four of which were spent at the helm of the beleaguered parastatal, Brian Dames decided to throw in the towel in March, 2014. This followed the many resignations from the state enterprise as well as the concerns that parliament was continuously raising with regards to the ever increasing budget, which came without a proportionate progress in the Medupi Power Plant, Eskom’s largest project to date. The Medupi Power Plant, when completed, would ensure that South Africa is self sufficient in as far as electricity is concerned. Since his resignation, has been making frantic efforts to find a replacement for him. It appears that, in Tshediso Matona, they may have found the man to fill those shoes who will drive the parastatal forward.
A widely read intellectual, Matona holds degrees in economics from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and the East Anglia University in the United Kingdom. In addition, Tshediso also boasts of certificates in trade and law management in government from a Dutch University called Maastricht University as well as the JF Kennedy School of Government which operates under the auspices of the world renowned Harvard University. A trade and policy expert with economist leanings, Tshediso Matona worked on Geneva, Switzerland where he headed the South African Permanent Trade Mission to the World Trade Organisation as well as other United Nations economic agencies. He has also participated extensively in both bilateral and multi-lateral negotiations including the TRIPS and Public Health issue in the WTO.
